Transcript Philosophy 1050: Introduction to Philosophy

Philosophy 1050:
Introduction to Philosophy
Week 6: Plato,
Forms, and Wisdom
Plato, forms and wisdom
• According to Plato, part of doing philosophy is
•
•
•
learning how to handle death.
Plato will argue, through Socrates, that the soul is
immortal and so we do not have to fear death.
He will do this by arguing that there are certain
real things – called forms – that we cannot see
or touch, but that exist nevertheless and that we
know things about from even before we were
born.
By tracing out the argument, we learn how to tie
down our opinions with reasons, using rational
thinking to make a convincing case.
The Death of Socrates
The Death of Socrates
• Cebes: “Assuming that we were afraid, Socrates,
•
•
•
try to change our minds, or rather do not assume
that we are afraid, but perhaps there is a child in
us who has these fears; try to persuade him not to
fear death like a bogey.” (77e)
If we were in Socrates’ situation, what (if anything)
would convince us not to be afraid?
What would we want to know?
How could we know this?
The Death of Socrates:
Soul vs. Body
• “When, then, does the soul grasp the
truth? For whenever it attempts to
examine anything with the body, it is
clearly deceived by it … Is it not in
reasoning if anywhere that any reality
becomes clear to the soul?” (65b; p.
102).
The Death of Socrates:
The “Forms”
• -Do we say that there is such a thing as
the Just itself, or not?
– -We do say so, by Zeus.
• -And the Beautiful, and the Good?
– -Of course.
• -And have you ever seen any of those
things with your eyes?
– -In no way. (65d)
Socrates, Plato, and the Forms
• According to Plato, there are some real things –
•
•
he calls them “forms” – that we do not directly
observe with our eyes but nevertheless can
know some things about them.
We can also use them as “standards” to judge
things we can observe.
Examples: The beautiful, the equal (equality),
justice, truth, the perfect square.
Putting together the pieces:
Socrates and Immortality
• We want to trace a route from:
– The idea of the FORMS – actual things that
we can know about, but have never perceived
with our senses
To:
– The claim that the soul is IMMORTAL.
The Death of Socrates: Wisdom
• “It really has been shown to us that, if we
are ever to have pure knowledge, we
must escape from the body and observe
things in themselves with the soul by
itself. It seems likely that we shall, only
then, when we are dead, attain that which
we desire and of which we claim to be
lovers, namely wisdom, as our argument
shows, not while we live…” (66d-e)
Plato, Forms, and Wisdom:
Summary
• According to Plato, we do not need to fear death
•
•
•
because we can know that the soul is immortal
and continues to exist after the body dies.
This is because, through our soul, we have
knowledge of the forms – perfect exemplars that
we cannot see or sense.
According to Plato, we got this knowledge before
we were born, and later on we can recollect or
remember it.
By tracing out the argument for immortality, we
are learning how to support our opinions or
views with reasons that make them solid,
grounded, and convincing.